The Catskill Chronicle

Burke’s QB Daniel Shannon and Andrew Hansen team up to tackle Eldred’s Ian Halloran.

Story and photos By Ted Waddell

ELDRED – To the victors go the spoils.

On a collision course, Burke’s Joe Willis meets Eldred’s Ian Halloran.

The Eagles of Burke Catholic came to Eldred with only one win for the season under their belts as they went up against the undefeated home team Yellow Jackets who took to the gridiron 8-0. But when it was all over, the visitors came to play, while the home team didn’t, and Burke upset Eldred 7-6.

Late in the second quarter, with the Eagles knocking at Eldred’s door, the Yellow Jackets recovered a Burke fumble in the backfield. A bit later, Burke’s Joe Mazzucco reeled in a long pass from Eagles QB Daniel Shannon to give the Eagles a first down at about the Yellow Jackets 16-yard line.

After both teams battled to a scoreless first half, Eldred’s QB Bryan Henry scored on a keeper at 6:22 in the third frame, on a 7-yard rush that narrowly missed taking out Frank Owen, the father of Sage Owen, a junior at Eldred High as he was snapping pictures of the game, in a play that had Henry diving into the left hand corner of the end zone. The PAT was blocked, and Eldred was up 6-0.

A ref rules that Ian Halloran picked off a Burke pass.

In the third frame, Ian Halloran picked off a Shannon pass, but Eldred couldn’t move the ball.

A few minutes later, Shannon, facing critical fourth and short situation, carried it down for a first down deep in Yellow Jackets territory. With the ball back in Eldred’s hands, a fumble in the backfield gave the Eagles possession with about three minutes left on the quarter clock, in a play that changed the momentum of the game as Burke latter converted the miscue into the winning TD.

Burke’s QB threaded the needle with a 17-yard pass in the end zone to Dan Boylan, in a play that was set up by a 30-some yard pass reception to Mazzucco who then added another 30 yards on the ground. The PAT drilled the uprights, and Burke led 7-6.

Eldred’s Geno Jones hurdles over Burke’s Matt Press, as players including Eldred’s Shaun Berger close in on a loose ball.

Burke picked up 53 yards on the ground. Shannon was 7 for 19 passing, and 129 yards and one interception.

Eldred rushing: Ian Halloran 19 carries for 96 yards; Bryan Henry 12 for 88 yards.

Halloran had two receptions totaling 52 yards (50 and2), Matt Balcom had a 20 -yard catch, and Brandon Startup reeled one in for 6 yards. Leading tacklers for the Yellow Jackets: Geno Jones (6), Dylan Kulik (6), Henry (5), and in the sack department, Zak Tyler has a couple, and with one QB sack each, Bobby Warden, Jones and Travis Hay. With the loss, Eldred is headed for Dietz Stadium on Kingston to take on Chester on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. in Section IX competition. “They came to play, and we didn’t show up to play,” said Frank Kean, veteran coach of the Yellow Jackets (8-1).

“They showed us where it was at, and took it from us,” added Kean, now in his 40th and final year coaching at the Home of the Yellow Jackets. “Now we have to reorganize and get to work…win, lose or draw, it’s all in how you play the game.”

Burke’s Angelo Riguard closes in on Eldred’s QB Bryan Henry.

Ed Van Curen, coach of the Eagles (2-7), told his team, gathered under a goal post on the churned up muddy field after the game, “You did a hell of a job, you should be proud of yourselves.”

Afterwards, he met the press.

“We’ll pulled off an upset which is good for us, transitioning into next season, as we are losing eight seniors [to graduation], so we’ll have a lot of young kids on our squad…it’s something to hang their hats on.”

“It had to be an aerial game,” added Van Curen. “We had an aerial show, trying to get the ball to the outside where it wasn’t so muddy.”

Burke’s Dan Boylan in the end zone after his game-winning TD.

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